Judge — February 14, 1920 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# The Tax Collector—Hey, You! Leave Somethin' for Me! This 1920 cartoon satirizes post-World War I tax collection. The figure on the left labeled "Collector" represents federal tax authorities, while the two figures on the right—labeled "Sheriff" and "H.C.of" (likely "H.C. of [County]")—appear to represent state and local tax officials. The cartoon depicts these government representatives literally robbing a citizen against a brick wall, with the federal collector demanding the victim "leave somethin'" for the other officials to collect. The satire critiques overlapping taxation by multiple government levels, suggesting citizens were being stripped bare by competing tax demands from federal, state, and local authorities—a common complaint during the post-war period of high taxation.